When you can’t muster a post about anything else, there’s always the weather!

Yule Heibel, who lives in Victoria, over the water southeast of Vancouver, beat me to it, that is, a discussion of our unusual Westcoast weather. She’s said everything I wanted to say and better than I could, even mentioning Winnipeg, where I grew up.

All I can add is that around 3:00 pm today our outside thermometer was 32C (about 90 F), which is a July heatwave, usually lasting about two weeks. Doing the spring gardening has been tough, with very cool and wet weather last week (more than Victoria as usual), and this week I have to be outside very early, while the dew is heavy on the lawn and do what I can before the heat. By this time the house is also hot, so my brain is fried trying to work at the computer or anything else. If this is a sign that we are in for three or four months of hot weather, you will be looking at one miserable person – I wilt and turn into a cranky, headachy, non-functioning vegetable. My northern blood may start telling me it’s time to move to the Arctic, hah!

Talking about climate change, in today’s Vancouver Sun (link will be short-lived), the front page headline is “Climate change threatens future of B.C.’s famed red cedars: Warmer, drier summers lead to tree fatigue”. Our trees have certainly been dropping their mess a lot more than usual the past two years, and end up blown into flower beds, eavestroughs and decks.

On a lighter note, go to the last page (courtesy of Finnish artist blogger Cholegh).

Oh, and to my American friends and family, have a great Memorial Day long weekend!